Corset



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MORRIS P. BRAY, OF NEW HAVEN, ASSIGNOR TO ISAAC W. BIRDSEYE, OF

BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

CORSET.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 255,924, dated April-4, 1882. Application filed April 23, 1881. (ModeL) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MORRIS P. BRAY, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Immovement in Corsets; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with'the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and

o which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure 1, a front view of the stay complete, ready for market or insertion; Fig. 1, a vertical section through the upper end of the stay,

showing the tip applied; Fig. 2, a side view as arranged in the corset; Fig. 3, a transverse section of the stay; Fig. 4, a transverse section of part of the corset with stay introdured, and in Fig.5 a transverse section, showing the stay with both a paper and fabric covering.

This invention relates to an improvement in corsets, with special reference to the rear or lacing portion, the object being to stay the corset at that point, and also avoid the liability of tearing out the eyelets-a serious difticulty in corsets in which the eyelets are introduced in the usual manner; and the invention consists in a stay composed of two parallel springs, of metal or other suitable material, arranged 3a within a covering, distant from each other and so as to leave the covering clear between the two springs, the said stay introduced between the two thicknesses of the corset at the rear edge, and eyelets inserted through the two 3 5 thicknesses of the corset and through that part of the stay-covering between the springs, as more fully hereinafter described.

I take two narrow springs, a a, of steel or other suitable material, and arrange them upon a fabric at a little distance from and parallel to each other, and then fold the fabric over onto itself, as seen in section, Fig. 3, the fabric being starched or coated with some glutinous material, so that after being-folded, as

described, the strip may be passed between rolls to firmly press the fabric upon itself, the starch, paste, or whatever it may be causing the meeting surfaces to adhere and secure the springs a a in their place, the spring being at the edge of the stay, leaving a space of fabric,

A, between; or the springs a a may be first inelosed in paper in like manner as described for the fabric, and then a fabric covering closed over the paper covering, as seen in Fig. 5, the fabric covering indicated by the outside solid black and the paper by the intermediate open section. The stays are cut to the required length from this strip. The stays are introduced between the two thicknesses, b c, of the back section, close to the edge. These thicknesses are best made in one piece, doubled at the edge, as seen in Fig. 4. Then close to the rear edge of the stay a line of stitches, d, is run; or the line of stitches may be first made to form a pocket, into which the stay is inserted. Then the eyelets c are introduced in the usual manner, passing through the two thicknesses of fabric and through the covering of the stay between the springs, as seen in Fig. 4. This stay gives the requisite stiffness to the rear edge of the corset, and because of the stiffened covering through whichthe eyelets pass each eyelet is itself strengthened and stayed, so that the great liability to accidental removal of the eyelet existing in the usual construction is avoided.

To protect the ends of the stay or prevent its wearing through at the ends, I cover each end with a metal cap,f. (See Figs. 1 and 1 This is done by closing a narrow strip of metal over the end. While I prefer the tip, it may be dispensed with.

I am aware that it is not new to cover corset-stays with paper or with fabric.

I claim- The herein-described improvement in corsets, consisting of the stay composed of the two springs a a, inelosed by a covering having a space between the two springs of the stay, which is arranged in a pocket at the rear 0 edge of the corset, and combined with eyelets introduced through the fabric of the pocket and the covering of the stay in the space be tween the two springs, substantially as described.

MORRIS P. BRAY.

Witnesses:

LILLIAN D. ROGERS, J. H. SHUMWAY. 

